Raw Data: SAT Results Over Time - Kevin Drum (2023)

FAQs

Can you get a perfect score on the SAT without answering all the questions? ›

You can find official SAT practice tests and their scoring tables at the College Board. As you can see with the above SAT scoring chart, it's possible to get some questions wrong and still earn the max SAT score. Generally speaking, you can miss 1-2 questions on each section and still get a perfect 1600.

According to the history of SAT scores, the average scores in the 1950s remained below 1000. From 2006 to 2016, the SAT shifted to a 2400-point scale after the College Board added an 800-point Writing section.

On the new SAT, there is no penalty for incorrect answers (no minus points), so skipping or answering a question incorrectly results in the same score. You get one point for every right answer since there is no wrong answer penalty, so you should bubble something in for every question.

Remember that YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER EVERY QUESTION TO RECEIVE A GOOD SCORE ON THE SAT. IN FACT, EVEN THE HIGHEST-SCORING STUDENTS SKIP A QUESTION HERE AND THERE.

Typically, if you get 0-1 wrong answers on the Math section you score a perfect 800. If you miss 1-3 questions, you lose 10 points and score a 790. If you miss 10 questions, you can expect a Math section score in the 680-710 range.

A 1400 overall would be a 700 in English and a 700 in Math. We would also assume 350 in Reading and 350 in Writing.

In particular, the Reading sections of recent SATs have been noticeably more challenging than they were in previous years—as evidenced by their more forgiving scoring curves.

In many ways, the new SAT is much easier than the older version. However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't study and be prepared! While the format may be better for some students, the questions are still designed to test your ability and skills in each particular subject.

Many colleges, including test optional schools, will use SAT or ACT scores to award merit scholarships for incoming students. If you do well on the test, your scores could benefit your financial aid greatly! Many scholarships require an SAT or ACT score as part of the application process.

In other words? There is no most common answer on the SAT. Ultimately, guessing C (or any letter!) will give you the correct answer only a statistical 25% of the time.

What is the best answer choice to guess on the SAT? ›

Because there is now no guessing penalty, it's always in your best interest to guess. Remember, a blank answer is always “wrong," but a guessed answer always has a chance to be correct. Some people may believe that guessing on the SAT shows a student's lack of preparation or strategy or that they've given up.

2. True or False. The “True” or “False” questions are some of the most commonly used multiple-choice questions. It includes the stem (question or statement) and two answer options – True and False.

C or H are right (and wrong) as often as any other answer choice. The only guess letter you don't want to use when you are completely guessing is E or K because they only show up on the math test. Ok, myths exposed, let's move on to how and when to guess.

Most of the questions are multiple choice, though some of the math questions ask you to write in the answer rather than select it. On all questions, there's no penalty for guessing: if you're not sure of the answer, it's better to guess than leave the response blank.

It's pretty easy to figure out the difficulty level of questions on the Math Test - sections here generally increase in difficulty as they go on. The first few questions are the easiest, and the last few are the hardest.

The College Board doesn't report the exact number of students who receive a perfect score, but we do have some understanding of its rarity. Based on tests taken between 2020 and 2021, the 99th+ percentile score range was 1560-1600. This means that less than 1% of test-takers scored in that range.

Utilizing a scoring scale of 400 to 1600, the SAT's best possible result is a 1600. A score of 1200 demonstrates an above average performance and shows that you answered a majority of the questions on the standardized test correctly.

A 1600 is only achieved by around 300 test takers per year and makes you eligible and highly competitive for admission at every college. Looking at this from another angle, a 1600 SAT score is in the 99nth percentile, which means you scored higher than 99% of all other 2 million+ test takers.

What percentile is a 1400 SAT score? A 1400 SAT score puts you at the 95th percentile, meaning you scored higher than 95% of all test takers.

Is a 1300 Sat Score (87th Percentile) Good? Yes. It indicates good performance in all sections of the exam and places you around the 87th percentile of all test takers, meaning you scored higher than 87% of all test takers.

How rare is it to get a 1500 on the SAT? ›

A 1500 puts you in nearly the 95th percentile of all 1.7 million test takers. Just 100 points shy of a perfect score, a 1500 makes you eligible to apply to every college and university in the country and be competitive for admission at almost every single one, including elite institutions.

According to FairTest, more than 1,750 schools will have ACT/SAT-optional policies in place for fall 2023, meaning that applicants can choose whether to submit test scores and have them be considered in a college's admissions process.

The old test had a maximum score of 2400, covering math, critical reading and writing. Each of those three sections was worth up to 800 points.

The College Board announced big changes to the format and delivery of the SAT for high school students in 2023 and 2024. The new SAT will be "easier to take, easier to give, more secure, and more relevant," said Priscilla Rodriguez, the company's Vice President of College Readiness Assessments.

For example, obtaining a perfect score on the old SAT (2400) puts you in the 99^th percentile, meaning you scored higher than 99% of all other test takers.

Your total SAT score will be between 400 and 1,600 points. There are two primary sections, Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW), and each one is worth 200 to 800 points.

Because of superscoring, it's a good idea to take the SAT at least twice if you can. Doing this allows you to raise your overall SAT score. Note that not all colleges superscore the SAT. As such, be sure to confirm each school's testing policy on its admissions website.

Another way to reassure colleges is with SAT Subject Tests.

If you are confident of your ability on tests, and you have even a bit of time to devote to studying, a high SAT subject score or two could help prove your ability in academic subjects and help overshadow your GPA.

College admission tests are becoming a thing of the past. More than 80% of U.S. colleges and universities do not require applicants to take standardized tests – like the SAT or the ACT. That proportion of institutions with test-optional policies has more than doubled since the spring of 2020.

Moving away from standardized tests is in-step with other major university institutions. The University of California Regents, for example, voted in May 2020 to suspend SAT and ACT testing requirements through 2024 and eliminate them altogether for California students in 2025.

Is B the most common multiple choice answer? ›

In multiple-choice questions, first, B and E are the most likely answers in 4- and 5-option questions, respectively and, second, same answer is least likely to be repeated in the next question.

Guessing Strategies

Try to make an educated guess. Always use the process of elimination as a first step. Use the wording of the question or answer as a clue to eliminate possibilities. Choose the most precise answer.

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Sometimes it seems like “C”—or its equivalent, “H”—is the most common answer choice, but this is merely a myth. In fact, the answer choice orders on the ACT and SAT are generated by a computer and are entirely random.

Your SAT score, which ranges from 400 to 1600, is the sum of your two section scores: Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW). Each section uses a scale of 200-800 in 10-point increments. A good score on Math or EBRW, then, would be around 600.

Most people (and tutors) tell students that, if they have no idea on a question, to just guess answer choice “C” — the middle answer on most multiple choice tests.

The basic idea behind this advice was that if you left a question blank then you had no chance of getting the question right. However, if you made a guess then you had a 25% chance of answering the question correctly.

For every question, there are two outcomes: Either you answer correctly or you don't. If you pick a random answer, the probability of guessing the right answer is one out of four, 1/4, or 0.25. Consequently, the probability of guessing wrong is a lot higher at 3/4 or 0.75.

Should you answer every question on the SAT? ›

The previous version of the SAT had what's known as a “guessing penalty,” meaning points were deducted for any incorrect answer. However, on the tests you'll take today you do not lose any points for wrong answers, so you should bubble in a response to every question.

You should guess when you don't know the answer, when you're running out of time, or when the question is going to take way more time than it's worth. We're going to help you guess strategically so that you can maximize your points—even when you don't have all the answers.

TOTAL SCORE

Total scores for each SAT Subject Test have a range of 200–800. To calculate your raw score, we add a point for each correct answer and then subtract a partial point for each incorrect answer. Points aren't subtracted for unanswered questions.

For Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, you can skip/answer incorrectly on average 9 questions on the writing portion and 12 questions on the reading portion. For Math, you can skip/answer incorrectly on average 17 questions between the calculator and no-calculator sections.

You can find official SAT practice tests and their scoring tables at the College Board. As you can see with the above SAT scoring chart, it's possible to get some questions wrong and still earn the max SAT score. Generally speaking, you can miss 1-2 questions on each section and still get a perfect 1600.

In many ways, the new SAT is much easier than the older version. However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't study and be prepared! While the format may be better for some students, the questions are still designed to test your ability and skills in each particular subject.

The main purpose of SAT Math is to determine whether students have learned high school math and are ready to learn college-level math. In a way, SAT Math isn't hard because it basically tests the math skills students typically learn in high school.

Some find the math portion much harder than the writing or reading portions, and vice versa. The hardest part to improve upon is probably the Critical Reading section, only because it involves more deeply ingrained, long-term bad habits that need to be broken before you can excel.

Can I Leave Questions Blank on the ACT/SAT? On both tests, there is no penalty for guessing. Since points are not deducted for incorrect answers, students are encouraged to attempt every question.

All your other answers will still be graded even if you don't finish the entire section. If you can't answer every question properly, you should still bubble in something for each question, since there is no penalty for guessing.

Is it important to answer all the questions on the SAT? ›

The previous version of the SAT had what's known as a “guessing penalty,” meaning points were deducted for any incorrect answer. However, on the tests you'll take today you do not lose any points for wrong answers, so you should bubble in a response to every question.

Finally, the new essay is a completely optional portion of the exam. You don't have to take it, and you'll still get your 1600-point score.

Myth 2: C is the best guess letter and is right more often than any other letter. C or H are right (and wrong) as often as any other answer choice. The only guess letter you don't want to use when you are completely guessing is E or K because they only show up on the math test.

Every answer choice on the SAT will have a statistically even distribution of 1 in 4 for each answer choice letter, A, B, C, or D. In other words? There is no most common answer on the SAT. Ultimately, guessing C (or any letter!) will give you the correct answer only a statistical 25% of the time.

Most people (and tutors) tell students that, if they have no idea on a question, to just guess answer choice “C” — the middle answer on most multiple choice tests.

On average, students answer 50 to 60 percent of questions correctly. 80 percent finish nearly the entire test.

Never Retake a 1530+

If you score a 1530+, you are in the top 1% of all test takers (based on 2017 numbers). The SAT User Percentiles are what matter since they're based on the actual scores of students.

Here's the thing: students can take the SAT as many times as they want. Unlike the ACT, College Board places no restrictions on how often students can take the SAT. Only the most recent 6 scores will stay on file at a time, but if you want to take it 38 times, College Board is happy to let you do so.

On tests with four choices (say, A, B, C, and D), B was slightly more likely to be correct (28%). Remember, the expected likelihood of each option being correct is 25%. And on tests with five choices (say, A, B, C, D, and E), E was the most commonly correct answer (23%). C was the least (17%).

Some find the math portion much harder than the writing or reading portions, and vice versa. The hardest part to improve upon is probably the Critical Reading section, only because it involves more deeply ingrained, long-term bad habits that need to be broken before you can excel.

What was Mark Zuckerberg SAT score? ›

Mark Zuckerberg.

The founder of Facebook scored the perfect 1600 on the SAT and attended Harvard University. There's no surprise there on the score or prestigious university!

SAT scores for any test date during the school year are almost always available 2–4 weeks after you take the test. For SAT administrations over the summer, scores may take a little longer. If you take the SAT on a Saturday, your multiple-choice scores will be ready about two weeks later.

Note that the test is deliberately designed so that the mean score hovers around 1000 on the 1600-point scale—about 500 per section. The average score for Math is 528, and the average score for EBRW is 533. SAT scores follow a normal distribution.